Introduction
Citi no longer offers a student credit card. The Citi ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students and the Citi Rewards+ Student Card are both closed to new applicants, and none of the 26 cards on Citi's list today is a student card. Citi's closest starter options are the no-annual-fee Citi Strata Card and the Citi Secured Mastercard.
Both student cards' pages on Citi's site now say the page no longer exists. Citi's old Rewards+ page now opens the Citi Strata Card, which Citi calls "a rich enhancement of the former Citi Rewards+ Card."
This review covers what happened to Citi's student cards, what to check if you already hold one, and which cards a student can apply for today.
Quick Summary
Is There a Citi Student Card?: No. Citi's list of credit cards has no student card today.
If You Hold a Rewards+ Student Card: Check its current name, earning rates and fees in your Citi account. Citi's card terms now name a Citi Strata Student account, and the Strata Card does not have the old round-up or Points Back features.
Citi's Starter Options Today: The Citi Strata Card ($0 annual fee) and the Citi Secured Mastercard ($0 annual fee, $200 to $2,500 deposit).
Other Issuers' Student Cards: Discover, Capital One and Bank of America still offer student versions of their cards.
What Happened to Citi's Student Cards
Neither the Citi ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students nor the Citi Rewards+ Student Card appears on Citi's list of cards today, and both of their pages on citi.com land on Citi's page-not-found message.
The regular Citi Rewards+ Card became the Citi Strata Card in 2025. Rewards+ cardholders were moved to the Strata Card starting July 20, 2025, and the Rewards+ round-up (every purchase rounded up to the nearest 10 points) and 10% Points Back did not carry over. Cardholders who opened a Rewards+ card between July 20, 2024 and July 19, 2025 kept those two features until July 19, 2026.
Citi's current Strata Card terms name a Citi Strata Student account alongside the Citi Strata Card.
If You Already Hold the Card
Start in your Citi account, not with old reviews. Your account and cardmember agreement show the card's current name, earning rates, annual fee and APR, and your ThankYou account shows which transfer partners your points can use.
Before you close it, redeem your ThankYou Points. Closing your oldest card can also shorten your credit history. If the card has no annual fee, keeping it open and using it for a small recurring bill is usually the simpler choice.
Citi's Strata Card page says its points transfer to American Airlines, JetBlue, Virgin Atlantic, Cathay, EVA Air, Choice Hotels, The Leading Hotels of the World and others. Our Citi ThankYou Points guide covers how the program works.
Citi's Starter Cards Today
Citi Strata Card
The Citi Strata Card has a $0 annual fee. New cardmembers earn 20,000 bonus ThankYou Points after spending $1,000 in the first 3 months. The bonus isn't available if you have or have had a Citi Strata or Citi Strata Student account.
It earns 5 points per dollar on hotels, car rentals and attractions booked on cititravel.com; 3 points per dollar at supermarkets, at gas and EV charging stations, on select transit and in one self-select category (fitness clubs, select streaming services, live entertainment, cosmetic stores, barber shops and hair salons, or pet supply stores); 2 points per dollar at restaurants; and 1 point per dollar on everything else.
There's a 0% intro APR for 15 months on purchases and balance transfers, then a variable APR of 18.74% to 28.74% based on creditworthiness. The card charges a 3% foreign purchase fee, so it isn't the card for a semester abroad. See our Citi Strata Card page for how it fits in Citi's lineup.
Citi Secured Mastercard
The Citi Secured Mastercard has a $0 annual fee. You choose a refundable security deposit between $200 and $2,500 in $100 steps, and your credit limit equals the deposit. Citi reports your use to the major credit bureaus, and the variable APR is 26.24%. Approval isn't automatic: Citi reviews your income against your existing debts. Our guide to the best secured credit cards compares it with other issuers' secured cards.
Student Cards From Other Issuers
Discover it Student Cash Back
The Discover it Student Cash Back has no annual fee. It earns 5% cash back on everyday purchases at places that change each quarter, up to the quarterly maximum when you activate, and 1% on all other purchases. Discover matches all the cash back new cardmembers earn in their first year. Purchases get a 0% intro APR for 6 months, then a variable APR of 16.74% to 25.74%.
Capital One Savor Rewards for Students
The Capital One Savor Rewards for Students has a $0 annual fee and earns unlimited 3% cash back at grocery stores, on dining, on entertainment and on popular streaming services, plus 1% on everything else. New cardmembers earn a one-time $50 cash bonus after spending $100 on purchases within 3 months. For a student whose spending is mostly food and entertainment, it's the most direct earner of the three.
Bank of America Travel Rewards for Students
This card has no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. It earns unlimited 1.5 points per dollar on purchases and 3 points per dollar on travel booked through BofA Travel, and points become a statement credit toward travel and dining purchases. New cardmembers earn 25,000 online bonus points after at least $1,000 in purchases in the first 90 days. Our guide to Bank of America's student credit cards covers its other student versions.
Building Credit With Your First Card
If this is your first credit card, the rewards aren't the point. Building credit history is. Two habits matter most.
First, pay the statement balance in full every month. Every card above charges a variable APR after any intro period, and interest will cost more than the rewards earn. Set up autopay for the full statement balance.
Second, keep the balance you carry low compared with your credit limit, because lower utilization scores better. Our guide on how to build credit as a college student walks through the rest.
Once you graduate and have stronger credit, you can keep your first card open (which preserves the length of your credit history) and add a travel card on top, such as the Chase Sapphire Preferred. Read our guide on how to apply for a credit card before you apply. If you stay with Citi ThankYou Points, the top of the range is the Citi Strata Elite, which carries a $595 annual fee.
Final Verdict
Citi doesn't offer a student credit card today. The ThankYou Preferred Card for College Students and the Rewards+ Student Card are both closed, and the Rewards+ round-up and Points Back that made the student card worth having are not features of the Citi Strata Card that replaced Rewards+.
If you already hold a Rewards+ Student card, check its current name and terms in your account, redeem your points before closing it, and keep it open if it has no annual fee. If you're a student applying now, compare Citi's Strata Card and Secured Mastercard with the Discover, Capital One and Bank of America student cards above on each issuer's own page.
Updated October 10, 2026: Citi's student cards and current starter cards.
